Vincent Ingala At Anthology
Thursday, March 17, 2011 9:00
March 12, 2011. In many genres of music, the term ‘next big thing’ can often be over used. However, those at San Diego’s Anthology to witness the west coast debut of saxophonist Vincent Ingala may in time come to reflect that they were there at the very beginning. In town as part of Bruce Nazarian’s fabulous four hour Digital Guy Radio Show new music showcase, Vincent used the opportunity to provide welcome exposure to his debut CD ‘North End Soul’.
Under any circumstances this hot new album would be considered as an outstanding piece of work but given that at the time of its release Vincent was only seventeen years old, this classy collection can truly be regarded as little short of remarkable. The album derives its title from the North End of Waterbury, CT where many of Vincent’s family members grew up listening to the funk, R & B and soul of the day. With ‘North End Soul’ he has embraced these old school sensibilities in a way that belies his years and, in so doing, delivered what can only be described as a real gem.
At Anthology, in the choice company of keyboard player Greg Manning, Fattburger’s Evan Marks, bass-man Jervonny Collier, drummer Donnell Spencer Jr. and that tremendous percussionist Gary Stanionis, Vincent quickly made his mark with a rousing performance which not only demonstrated the richness of sound which he routinely generates but also (in the case of the Four Seasons 1966 classic ‘Working My Way Back To You’) displayed a singing voice that is far from shabby.
Other standouts of Vincent’s Anthology apperance included the sax driven ‘It Is What It Is’ and, with both Dave Koz and Kim Waters looking on from the side, his own composition ‘Midnight Pass’ served up more of the delightful smooth jazz same.
During a set that everyone wished had gone on longer, Vincent’s rendition of ‘What Does It Take’fitted the mood of the day to perfection and when only a few hours later he re-emerged at the Hard Rock Hotel in a collaboration with Peter White, it was White’s own version of the same tune to which the pairing turned. Not only that, White paid Ingala the ultimate honour by tasking him with the Grover Washington Jr part on his seminal ‘Midnight In Manhattan’. The fact he totally nailed it was no surprise to anyone who had watched him in action throughout the day and gave cause to think that maybe Vincent Ingala really could be ‘the next big thing’.
For more news on Vincent Ingala go to www.vincentingala.com
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